Dr. Banu Cole | USA

What does it look like to pursue multiple impossible dreams at the same time?

For Dr. Banu Cole, it means leading cutting-edge cancer research during the week, flying helicopters, editing one of the world’s first journals dedicated to analog astronaut research, and helping prepare humanity for future missions to Mars.

Banu earned her PhD in Cell Biology from Harvard before building a career leading preclinical drug discovery programs in oncology, metabolic disease, and rare diseases. Alongside her work in biotechnology, she became a commercial helicopter pilot and certified flight instructor, graduated from Project PoSSUM’s Scientist-Astronaut Program, served as a backup crew member for NASA’s HERA analog, and fulfilled a lifelong dream by joining the historic MENA-00-WR analog mission in Wadi Rum, Jordan as Mission Specialist.

In this conversation, we discuss how the Challenger disaster inspired her dream of becoming an astronaut, why helicopters captured her imagination, the surprising similarities between drug discovery and space exploration, and what it was really like living and working inside one of the world’s newest Mars analog habitats.

We also explore the value of failure during analog missions, the importance of human factors, teamwork under pressure, women in aviation and space, the launch of the Analog Astronaut Research Journal, and why the future of Mars exploration depends just as much on collaboration as it does on technology.

Whether you’re interested in medicine, aviation, analog missions, or simply pursuing a dream that refuses to let go, this is a conversation about curiosity, resilience, and building a life that doesn’t fit neatly into a single job title.

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